Divided (Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses Crossover)

Chapter 30

The Suriel had disappeared after he had finished his speech, and Feyre was glad for the silence in the grove of trees. There were some birds chirping in some of them, and though there was so very many things for her to worry about, Feyre was happy. 

The Cauldron has blessed you with the High Lord's child. Feyre smiled despite herself, thinking of how she was going to tell Rhysand. Maybe she would bake him a cake. She laughed at the idea, knowing she could only make semi-edible soup. 

Feyre began untying the knots in the traps that she had set for the Suriel. There was no sense in leaving them out and catching a poor deer in them. As she was shoving the last length of rope into her bag, a scream pierced the peace of the grove. 

She stilled her movements and listened. The birds had stopped singing in the trees above. Cloaking herself in the darkness of the Night Court, Feyre became invisible and began moving in the direction of the scream. 

She wasn't completely familiar with all of the villages in the Spring Court, but she knew there was a small cluster of houses close to the white cliffs that marked the edge of both the Spring Court and Prythian a couple miles from the grove. She moved through the forest quickly, stopping every so often to listen. 

Feyre could see the smoke rising from the village before she could hear the screams of the residents. Conserving some of the her magic stores by not winnowing, Feyre dropped into a sprint, bee-lining for the small village. More and more voices joined the unnatural chorus of screams that echoed through forest, and Feyre willed her legs to go faster. 

The closer she got to the village, the warmer the air around her got, and smoke was beginning to cling to the air around her. When she burst through the final clump of trees and into the burning village, she finally stopped. What Feyre saw before her was devastating. There was no home untouched by the flame and very few people. Some of the Fae who lived in the village futilely threw buckets of water at their burning homes, but it was taking too long to draw it up from the wells to do any good.

Feyre, forgetting about her magic conservation, winnowed to the other side of the village that overlooked the cliffs and the narrow sea beyond. Her plan was to draw up a wave of water from the sea to wash over the burning devastation, but what she saw stopped her. 

Hundreds of ships bobbed in the small bay below with sail sigils that Feyre did not recognize. Panic gripped Feyre's heart as she looked back at the obliterated village behind her and the massive naval force below. Her feelings must have shot down the bond because Rhys shot back his own panicked thought. 

What's happening, Feyre, Rhysand asked through the bond. 

This Fae village was burned to the ground, and look," Feyre responded, sending a mental picture of the scene before her. 

Feyre, you need to come home. Now, Rhys all but commanded. 

I can't. I'm sorry, Rhys, but I have to at least warn Lucien. And what about Elain? I have to protect her.

Lucien will protect Elain. Your job is to protect our people.

No, Rhys. My job is to protect all people now. I'm sorry, Feyre said quietly before shutting him out completely. She could feel his will slamming at her shields, wanting and needing her to respond, but she needed to concentrate on the chaos before her. 

There was nothing left of the village to save. Those who had survived were gathered on the edge of the forest, watching their homes burn to the ground. Feyre made her way towards them. 

"I know I am no longer a welcome guest in your lands, and I am sorry that I did not get here soon enough to save your homes, but Lucien Vanserra will gladly welcome all of you into the High Lord's manor while you rebuild. I am sure of it. I do not know who this foreign invader is, but together we will defeat them. I am travelling to meet with Lucien now, and I suggest you do the same," Feyre said the broken down survivors. 

Though a few of the Fae looked at her, most of them kept their eyes firmly on the ground. One male, who had a hand on the shoulder of an elderly female, nodded at her words, confirming to Feyre that at least one of them would heed her warning. She nodded back at the man before winnowing to very edge of the High Lord's manor property. There was no time to waste. 

She sprinted into the manor house, calling for Lucien or Elain or Alis or anyone as she went. A pair of hands caught her before she began up the spiraling staircase to the upper level rooms. 

"Feyre, what's wrong?" Lucien asked harshly. 

Hoarsely, she responded, "You're being invaded. You need to tighten up your wards. Someone is coming."

"What do you mean?"

"There's an armada in your bay. Hundreds of ships, Lucien. You don't have time to waste," Feyre gasped out. 

Lucien stared into her eyes for a moment before he started giving commands to different Fae that had wandered into the room. 

"Feyre," Lucien called.

"Yes?"

"I am not a High Lord. I have some magic. But not enough to secure our wards like Tamlin would," Lucien said, worry evident on his face.

"I'll do it. Just tell me how," she answered, placing one hand lightly on her belly. 

It only took Lucien a few minutes to describe to Feyre how to set up the wards around the manor house and its property. Apparently, the strength of them depended on the High Lord, or in her case, High Lady, who cast them. 

Feyre was seated on her old brown mare, stopping every few feet to speak the words that strengthened the invisible wards. Even though the woods around her were peaceful enough, the threat from beyond the estate set her teeth on edge. Being so far away from her mate in a land that was less than warm about her presence also made her uneasy. 

She didn't know if it was her heightened emotions or her Fae senses that made her stop. Though she could see a threat, she found herself making sure her mental shields were up as high as they would go. Feyre also began layering physical shields. The mare below her began to flounce its head, uncomfortable and alert. There was something wrong in the woods around her, and the horse knew it too. 

It began to back up the way it came, but then it stopped. Feyre kicked it, trying to stir it into motion, but it refused to move, as if it were frozen in place. Looking down, Feyre noticed dark shadows lapping at the horse's hooves. The shadows moved like mist, crawling up the horse's legs towards her. Fear gripped Feyre's heart, and she tried to winnow away, but she was stuck in the saddle. 

A twig snapped just off to her left, and a figure emerged from the growing shadows and mist. 

"Hello, Feyre. It's so nice to finally meet you in person. I've learned so much about you." 

Hey everyone! I'm not the happiest with this chapter (I'm sorry :\ ), but I'll update again later tonight. Thank you all so much for reading, voting, and commenting!